Markets hit records: The S&P 500 (+0.12%) and Nasdaq (+0.20%) closed at all-time highs, while the Dow slipped slightly (-0.13%).
Stalled U.S.–Iran talks and conflict in the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil prices higher and capped market upside.
WTI (~$96) and Brent (~$108) increased amid the ongoing stalemate.
CoreWeave seen positively by analysts ahead of earnings (AI cloud growth). Investors favor long-term tech exposure.
Semiconductor stocks paused after a strong rally.
Bed Bath & Beyond surged 31% after beating revenue expectations and reporting a smaller-than-expected loss.
Rambus fell 10% due to declining margins despite slightly higher earnings.
LendingClub jumped 12% after earnings and revenue beat forecasts, with stronger net interest margin.
Sanmina gained 15% on upbeat earnings guidance and a $600M share buyback announcement.
Cadence Design Systems dipped 1% after lowering full-year earnings guidance, despite beating quarterly estimates.
Nucor rose nearly 4% after reporting stronger-than-expected earnings and revenue.
S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq Composite futures each added about 0.2%. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 61 points, or 0.1%.
United CEO says he considered merger with American Airlines but talks have ended
China blocks Meta’s US$2 bil acquisition of AI firm Manus
Verizon reports phone subscriber gains under new CEO
Mooreast to divest 51 Shipyard Road for $29.7 mil
Eneco Energy to acquire Fastweld Engineering Construction for a total consideration of $4.3 mil
Intel’s $6.5B bond sale drew ~$50B in orders (~7.7× oversubscribed), signaling confidence in its turnaround. Proceeds will help repurchase a stake in its Ireland chip plant (Fab 34). Despite past profit declines and credit downgrades (from A to BBB), investors are increasingly optimistic. Strong sales forecasts and AI-driven demand (especially for data center chips) are boosting sentiment and share prices. Lower credit risk costs and tight bond pricing reflect growing confidence.
YZJ Maritime orders 10 newbuilds, brings fleet to 105
ST Engineering wins $4.8 bil in new contracts in 1QFY2026
Olam Group completes 44.58% stake sale in Olam Agri to SALIC for US$1.88 bil
53 mil new MoneyMax shares snapped up by three EQDP fund managers
Serial Achieva wins contract to supply switches; deal worth up to US$18.8 mil
Addvalue surges after SGX’s nod for Nasdaq spin off; Maybank raises target price to 31 cents
Centurion Corp to acquire second miners’ accommodation asset in Australia for A$28.55 mil
JP Morgan Chase raises stake in AEM Holdings to above 7%
CATL seeks to raise US$5 bil in largest HK share sale of 2026 — Bloomberg
Hong Kong stocks were mixed — HSI (-0.2%) and HSCEI (-0.2%) fell slightly, while HSTECH (+0.8%) gained. Turnover reached $251.6B.
Driven by DeepSeek V4 AI model news, major chipmakers like SMIC and Hua Hong Semi rose ~6%, with others posting strong gains.
EV makers like BYD (+4.7%), Leapmotor (+2%), and NIO (+2%) rose amid product updates and Auto China attention.
Xiaomi dipped slightly; Great Wall Motor fell on weak earnings.
Hextar Capital secured a RM155.3M subcontract for a military hospital in Melaka, expected to contribute positively until 2028.
CBH Engineering won a RM29.69M data centre substation job in Johor, strengthening its exposure to data centre projects.
Uzma Bhd obtained an 8-year PETRONAS contract for water injection module services (value undisclosed).
Steel Hawk landed a 3-year PETRONAS Gas logistics support contract, adding recurring income.
KHPT Holdings plans a RM19.5M acquisition to expand into electrical/electronics manufacturing.
KIP REIT will acquire Setapak Central Mall for RM435M, boosting its retail portfolio.
PGF Capital reported a 42% profit drop due to the absence of a one-off gain despite higher revenue.
Ekovest abandoned its RM310M RTS-linked land acquisition after agreements lapsed.
Padini and Cropmate had bank accounts frozen amid separate MACC investigations, with no confirmed wrongdoing reported yet.
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